All-Inclusive Resort with Oceanfront Jacuzzi and Three Pools

To the east of Omni Cancun Hotel & Villas, there's a freshwater lagoon; to the west, the Caribbean Sea. Many of the activities at this all-inclusive resort are centered around the clear water: you can borrow snorkeling gear, play a game of beach volleyball by the shores, or spread your towel on the sand underneath a thatched palapa. A few steps from the beach, there's an oceanfront jacuzzi in the shape of a hibiscus blossom that seats 40 and surrounds a swim-up bar. There are also three swimming pools with sunken loungers.

Premier ocean-view guest rooms all have sweeping views of the Caribbean Sea from private balconies furnished with cushioned benches and throw pillows. You can lounge around with a beer from the mini bar, or head to one of the resort's bars to enjoy a specialty martini or piña colada until 1 a.m. There's a huge selection of local and international dishes at La Paloma's breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets; otherwise, you can reserve a table at one of the Omni Cancun's specialty restaurants to feast on a la carte Italian, sushi, or Mexican barbecue.

Fresh herbs perfume the air inside the spa, which contains a steam room, full-service salon, and private treatment rooms for facials, body treatments, and massages. You can also book a massage on the beach to unwind amid the sounds of the sea.

Cancún: Cool White Sands and Mayan Relics

Located on a barrier island shaped like the number seven, Cancún's Hotel Zone juts into the Caribbean Sea at the northeast tip of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. With the sea on one side and freshwater lagoons on the other, it's a popular spot for sailing and snorkeling. Although the beaches and barrier reefs are a major draw, the geography is equally enticing further inland, where you can dive into an underground river or take a speedboat through a mangrove jungle.

Cancún pulls in millions of visitors each year, so escaping the crowds and the party atmosphere isn't always easy, but a visit to Playa Delfines offers a chance for sunbathing in relative seclusion. Resorts have yet to encroach upon this stretch of sand, and it's especially popular with surfers.

The stone columns of El Rey Ruins, an ancient Mayan site dating back to the second and third centuries BCE, lie within the city’s Hotel Zone. Believed to be a royal burial ground, the archaeological site is also home to wild iguanas that lounge in the sun and read Tom Clancy novels. For a Mayan-themed daytrip, take a 1.5-hour drive from Cancún down the coast to Tulum, a pre-Columbian walled city located on a bluff overlooking the sea—one of the Yucatán Peninsula's most visited Mayan ruins. The Mayan city of Chichén Itzá, chosen as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007, is only a 2.5-hour drive from Cancún.